What are some signs of physical abuse?
- Discrepancies between injury and history
- Facial swelling or missing teeth
- Burns
- Seen by different doctors or hospitals
- Unexplained accidents or injuries
- Bruising and abrasions
- Conflicting stories between client and carers or family members.
What are some signs of psychological abuse?
- Loss of interest in self or environment
- Passivity
- Ambivalence towards family member or carer
- Apathy
- Fearfulness
- Lack of eye contact with practitioner, carer or other person
- Huddled or nervous around carer or other person
- Reluctance to talk openly
- Helplessness
- Withdrawal
- Insomnia/sleep deprivation
- Paranoid behaviour or confusion not associated with illness
- Resignation
What are some signs of financial abuse?
- Reluctance to make a will
- Loss of jewellery and personal property
- Unprecedented transfer of funds
- Improper attainment, or misuse of a Power of Attorney or Enduring Power of Attorney
- Loss of financial material eg. Bank books, credit cards, cheque books
- Bills not paid when money entrusted to a third party
- Management of a competent person’s finances by another person
- Sudden inability to pay bills: rent, buy food or participate in social activities
- Unexplained withdrawal from bank accounts
- Cashing of personal cheques
- Removal of cash from a wallet
What are some signs of neglect?
- Inadequate food and drink, which may result in; malnutrition, weight loss, wasting and dehydration.
- Isolation, lack of mental, physical, social or cultural contact/stimulation.
- Inadequate supervision supervision.
- Inadequate or inappropriate use of medication
- Unmet physical needs such as decaying teeth or overgrown nails.
- The person may not be provided with necessary aids such as spectacles, dentures, hearing aids or a walking frame.
- Clothing may be in poor repair or inadequate for the season.
- Poor hygiene or inadequate skin care.
- Hypothermia, recent colds, bronchitis or pneumonia
What are some signs of sexual abuse?
- Bruising around the breasts or genital area
- Unexplained venereal disease or genital infections
- Torn, stained, or bloody underclothing
- Presence of sperm in the vagina or anus
- Vaginal bleeding not associated with menses
- Bruising on the inner thighs
- Difficulty in walking or sitting
What are some carer-related risk factors that may lead to abuse of an elderly person?
- Financial difficulties
- Lack of respite care
- Inadequate support to give high quality care
- Heavy physical or emotional costs of being a carer
- Lack of recognition for the role of carers takes a heavy toll on the health and well-being of the carer
- Personal stress, the carer may be looking after two generations, his or her own children and a dependent parent. This “sandwich” effect can create extreme stress.
- Unfamiliarity with the caring role and its responsibilities.
- The absence of adequate support or relief for the carer.
How can carer-related risk factors be mitigated?
- Provision of respite care
- Provision of community support services
- Counselling
What five points are outlined in the “Elder abuse – a National Legal Response”, a national plan to combat elder abuse?
The National Plan to combat elder abuse should
identify goals, including:
(a) promoting the autonomy and agency of older people
(b) addressing ageism and promoting community understanding of elder abuse
(c) achieving national consistency
(d) safeguarding at-risk adults and improving responses
(e) building the evidence base
What are the components of the CAUSEd model for strategies to best manage dementia and what to tWhathey involve?
- Communication: promote positive communication
- Activity: improve positive participation
- Unwell/unmet needs
- Story: include individual’s life experience
- Environment: support in their environment
- Dementia: support by understanding impact of dementia on the individual
What kind of exercises are recommended for the prevention of osteoporosis?
High impact, high load exercises
What is an insufficiency fracture?
A fracture caused by normal physiological stress upon weakened bone.
What effect does swimming have on Bone-Specific Physical Activity Questionnaire scores? Why is this?
No effect, as there is no loading involved
What is anaemia?
A reduction in the number of circulating red blood cells, below the normal range.
Males: <12g/dl
Females: <14g/dl
What percentage of 75+ year olds have anaemia?
26%
What are the common signs and symptoms of anaemia?
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Dizziness
What are the common causes of anaemia?
- Blood loss, excessive blood cell destruction and impaired red blood cell formation
- Iron deficiency
- Anaemia of chronic or malignant disease
What are the common treatments for anaemia?
- Blood transfusion
- Vitamin and/or mineral supplements
- Stimulating factor medications
What are the potential side effects of a blood transfusion?
- Volume overload
- Urticaria
- Anaphylaxis
- Infection
- Haemolysis
- Fever
- Iron overload
What considerations should be made when treating a patient with anaemia?
- Reduce fatigue and weakness
* Specific goals for the patient
What can amplify the symptoms of anaemia?
Heart and lung disease
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Ageing26
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Exercise Prescription6
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Sleep and Ageing57
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Dementia, Delirium and Cognitive Decline18
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Foot and Ankle Dysfunction in the Ageing Population13
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Pharmacy33
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Osteoporosis45
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Falls58
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Osteoarthritis32
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Hip Pain in Older Adults20
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Community Participation and Health Usage9
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Week 2 revision6
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Week 1 revision9
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Week 3 revision10
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Week 4 and 5 revision11
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Tutorials20
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Incontinence70
